


Festive Drinks

by shieldivarius



Series: Femslash Yuletide 2014 [8]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, Femslash Yuletide, Prompt: Festive Drinks, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 15:13:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5379881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shieldivarius/pseuds/shieldivarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha's feeling a bit disheartened by the situation with the Advent Gang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Festive Drinks

**Author's Note:**

> This instalment definitely only makes sense if you've read the ones before it.
> 
> All of the Melinda/Natasha stories in this year's Femslash Yuletide are in the same universe and chronological unless stated otherwise!

“Is that cranberry cider?” 

Melinda reached for the mug and Natasha slapped her hand down on top of it, drawing it back across the table toward her with barely a glance upward.

“Don’t drink that,” she warned. 

Light trails of steam drifted upward between Natasha’s fingers as Melinda watched, a crease to her brow, a long run of thoughts trailing one after the other through her brain. Natasha, bent over a form and filling it out in neat writing, didn’t seem to be drinking the cider.

_Ah._

“Advent Gang?” Melinda asked, lifting a hip and perching on the edge of Natasha’s desk. They were too active. She felt like she was asking the same question every other day.

“Local police found 260 gallons of the stuff in the storage room of a subway station in Brooklyn,” Natasha said. “It keeps itself warm. I’ve sent samples down to Sci Ops but apparently,” and here she looked up, annoyance all across her face, “at least thirty percent of them are on vacation.”

“You’re allowed to take vacation too, Natasha,” Melinda pointed out. When Natasha only snorted in response, she continued, “Why wasn’t I informed of the find?”

“Sorry,” Natasha said shortly. “I’ve been chasing down leads.”

As if only just realizing that Melinda wasn’t likely to touch the cider now that an explanation had been given, Natasha moved her hand from the top of it. In the mug, it continued to steam, bubbling just slightly as though it were sitting on a low flame. The scent of cinnamon and cloves mixed with the slight sour of cranberries and filled the air. 

“Unsuccessfully, I take it.” She hopped down from the desk. “I’ll go see if I can’t bump the samples ahead of whatever else Sci Ops is working on. Keep in touch.”

Natasha nodded, not looking up. Worry creased her brow, and Melinda sighed and tracked back across the room to her. She gave Natasha’s shoulder a squeeze.

Natasha focused on her work for a moment longer before she looked up again, dropping her pen down beside the steaming cider. "This is mischief," she said. "It's not anything else."

"Unless they were going to sell it," Melinda said.

"It could be harmless."

"It could be."

Natasha groaned and put her head in her hands.

"For what it's worth, I think Hill's wrong," Melinda offered. Natasha looked back up at her, just dignified enough that she wasn't peering through her fingers. "I don't think this has anything to do with you, they're just operating in a tight enough radius that it seems like it."

"My holiday spirit leaves a lot to be desired," Natasha replied. 

Melinda smiled. "You helped me with the tree," she pointed out. 

"Under duress."

"No one makes you do anything, under duress or not." 

Natasha's hands finally dropped back to her lap, and she gave Melinda a smile with a hint of slyness that acknowledged the point. 

Melinda let her hand slide down Natasha's shoulder in a quick caress as she pulled her hand back. "I'm going to Sci Ops. I'll call you," she said, halfway out the door as she spoke.

Natasha had already gone back to her forms, but she lifted her hand in a wave as Melinda left. She looked a little bit lighter, like she'd taken Melinda's words to heart, but Melinda worried about how long that was going to last if they didn't find the idiots who were messing with her head.

**Author's Note:**

> http://shieldivarius.tumblr.com


End file.
